Homers & Gomers

What's going right

FEWER PRISONERS: Iowa's prison population has been trending downward since hitting a record 8,840 on Oct. 3, 2007. As of a week ago, the count was 8,458. Part of the decline is attributed to Iowa's toughened laws that discourage methamphetamine production.

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TRIBUTE: Thousands of people attended the visitation and funeral of Ed Thomas, Aplington-Parkersburg coach and community leader. The turnout was remarkable in numbers and variety. Included were hundreds of football players from high schools throughout Eastern Iowa who wore their team jerseys and saluted the funeral procession as it wound through town.

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FITTING: Cedar Rapids and Linn County, which sustained more than half of the state's damage inflicted by the 2008 flood, were awarded funding for seven projects funded by the state I-JOBS board. The board approved $40 million toward projects, including the public library, Paramount Theatre, public works building, downtown steam customer assistance, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, county human services campus and a revamped county community services building.

What's going wrong

RURAL DECLINE: Iowa's rural counties continue to lose residents. The latest U.S. Census estimates show Iowa's metro counties, including Linn and Johnson, climbing by 8.5 percent from 2000 to July 1, 2008. Meanwhile, non-metro counties saw a drop of 4.2 percent. This trend likely will make it more difficult for small counties to provide services as they lose taxpayers.

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HIRING DOWNTURN: A recent report by Cambridge Staffing in Cedar Rapids indicates only 24 percent of 75 employers surveyed plan to increasing staffing in the third quarter. That's a drop of 9 percent from the survey for the second quarter just ended. However, only two of those employers, who account for more than 15,000 employees in service and manufacturing positions, are planning layoffs in the coming three months.

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PLANT CLOSING: Benco Manufacturing, which produces parts for a variety of automakers and has operated more than 30 years in Belle Plaine, will close its plant there by December, its ownersaid last week. The plant had employed up to 160 before orders began declining this year. It's apparently another victim of the depressed automotive industry.